Fit For A King: 1955 Hummer

Motorcycle Design: Harley-Davidson

After the close of WWII, Harley-Davidson acquired the design of a small German motorcycle, the DKW RT 125. Harley adapted the German design and introduced it as a series of single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycles that have come to be known as Hummers. Originally only used to designate those models made between 1955 and 1959, the name "Hummer” has been retroactively applied to all single-cylinder bikes Harley produced between 1948 and 1966. The original 1948 Model 125 had a 3-hp, two-stroke engine with a three-speed foot transmission and a front suspension consisting of girder forks suspended by rubber bands. More than 10,000 of the Model 125s were created in their first year of production. It would later evolve into the 125 cc 1955 Hummer, which used a “B-Model” engine and was sold without battery, horn, turn signals or brake light.

In fact, a 1956 Harley-Davidson ST 165, the 125 cc Hummer’s replacement, was Elvis Presley’s first Harley. He quickly moved up to a 56 KH, which he purchased just days after releasing his first No. 1 hit, “Heartbreak Hotel.” He would appear on the May 1956 cover of Harley’s The Enthusiast magazine on his precursor to the Sportster and would continue to ride Harleys throughout his life. The stripped-down Hummer would once again be renamed the Super 10 in 1960, when it gained a 165 cc version of the “B-Model” engine. The Ranger, an off-road version, and the Pacer and Scat would soon follow. They featured 175 cc engines, more advanced telescopic front suspensions and rear suspensions using “L”-shaped swingarms spring-mounted horizontally under their engines.